Tag: Truck Driver Jobs

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Lifestyle

Sleep Apnea Disorder-A major concern in the US Trucking Industry

Sleep apnea is a kind of breathing disorder which does not allow the person to sleep properly. Improper sleep pattern due to sleep apnea in turn causes fatigue. The safety issues related with this situation is becoming a major concern in the trucking industry. This is one of the prominent illness that the truckers are facing these days due to their lifestyle and challenges of the job. The life expectancy of a truck driver is 16 to 61 years less than the average life expectancy of an individual in the country. As per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association chief Anne Ferro 30% of the truck drivers are facing this health hazard.
Since the disease promotes fatigue and fatigue is the cause of 13% of truck accidents on the roads. Therefore sleep apnea will soon face legal complications for trucking companies and owner operators considering the risk factor associated with it. The number of truck drivers facing this problem can be known by the carrier company. Therefore these fatigue related accidents are causing legal problems for the carriers and serving as the easy ground to play and earn for attorneys.
Keeping the increased danger associated with this disorder now the regulations will be implemented with the guidance of FMCSA to regulate and monitor the symptoms of sleep apnea in drivers. Earlier regulations that were implemented more than 10 years before stated that: the driver should not have any respiratory problems that might affect his driving performance. The DOT officials were responsible to screen the drivers who showed symptoms of sleep apnea. This does not mean that any driver who is diagnosed with this impairment will not be certified as a professional driver. His certification will depend on the severity of the apnea and its impact on his driving capabilities.
Read more articles on driver’s lifestyle and business opportunities on our loadboard blog page.
Medical review Board suggestion will be sought for various disorders related to the driver health. As it the question of one’s livelihood and they should be rejected certificate only on strong scientific study and evidences. Now with tightening of the sleep apnea regulations and its legal action the trucking companies are working hard in this respect. They are providing treatments to their drivers suffering from sleep apnea. The study suggests there has been 30 % less crashes reported by the drivers who were treated for this. Also the driver retention rate has drastically increase. after they were provided treatment by the trucking companies.
The cost of treatment is coming out to be high. The screening test costs around $200 and the follow up course which can go up to 90 days costs around $3500. This investment has proved out to be beneficial as it decreases the overall health care cost of the driver and increases the safety factor when the driver is on its way to dispatch available loads.
The truck drivers and carrier companies need to understand that this is a very challenging situation and a planned approach towards it will remove the complications involved. These days there are many third party organizations who can collaborate with trucking companies and can provide there services on this matter. Things will be resolved only when one takes action towards it.

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Trucker News

Trucking Speed Limits proposal by NHTSA under Consideration

Keeping in mind the trucker safety and there requests National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has said it will work towards the rule proposal through which the truck manufacturer companies will have to install a mechanism or device which will limit the driving speed of the heavy trucks to 68 mph. This will be brought to effect by 2012.
American Trucking Association and Road Safe America has made a petition to give this rule a way so that the truck accidents which are caused by the speeding factors could be limited and the truck drivers job could be made more safe. These petitions were granted by NHTSA in the Federal Register posting which was conducted last week. Though the NHTSA has granted ATA and Road Safe America petitions that does not mean the final rule regarding the speed limit is issued. NHTSA further laid emphasis on two studies conducted which suggests that these speed limiting device has the potential to decrease the severity of crash.
Bill Graves, ATA president said they are happy that there petition will be soon considered and a rule will be implemented. The petition was first filed by ATA to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in October 2006. The safety on the road can be increased when the traffic on the road is slowed down the ATA president said we tried to do this on our part for the sake of the trucking industry.
Check our load board blog page for more articles on FMCSA and ATA.
Now everybody knows that with the restrictions on the trucking speed limit the number of speed related crash will be reduced. However the rule is not implemented yet as the FMCSA is conducting studies on the economic effects of the introduction of this speed limiting rule. The reports from this study will be open to public in 90 days.
The fuel efficiency will surely be affected when the truck speed is less than 68mph. But one can obviously compromise on fuel efficiency where the truck driver life and safety is concerned. Many other industrialized countries have already implemented this rule and there can be noticed a drastic reduction in the accidents caused due to speeding. From the Schneider carrier company’s internal crash reports it is evident that the trucks with no speed limiters accounts for 40% of the total serious collisions. So there is a great need of this rule to be implemented in United States also.
Where this proposal is welcomed by many, there are some trucking companies and owner operators who say such decision is more likely to increase the risk as all the vehicles on the highway should run on the same speed and the varied speed causes more accidents. Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says setting the speed limit will not reduce the number of accidents on the highways. Other aspect against the speed limiters is that with slow moving trucks there will be increased congestion on the US highways thus affecting the overall productivity of the trucking companies. This will in turn delay the dispatch service of the available loads.
With the mixed views and suggestions NHTSA is strong in making way to the proposal to set speed limiters for trucks.

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Lifestyle

Pros and Cons of a Truck Driver Job

Life is a journey and it begins on the day a man is born and reaches its commencement on the day of his death. Truck driver job is a job in which the driver is most of the time traveling and his life can literally be said on wheels.
There are various contradictions about a truck driver job and carry some positives as well as some negatives. There are adventures in a truck driver job as he gets the chance to travel a lot and is often on the roads meeting varying kinds of people. It isn’t a routine job of 9 to 5 leading to boredom. And this job makes one taste the various experiences of job.
But like any other job a truck driver job also has its own fall-outs.
There have been various researches done which show that truck drivers employed with some trucking company or an owner operator are vulnerable to shorter life span as compared to any other job. This alarming research throws light on various factors responsible for this problem. The behavioral patterns of the drivers lead to problems such as cigarette smoking resulting putting a negative effect on their health. Some researchers, doctors and truckers expert discussed this problem that the life expectancy of a truck driver is 16 years shorter to a person working in some other field. The study said that there were several other issues contributing to this problem but health problem could be considered to be at the core of it.
There are more chances of fatalities and accidents in a driving job as compared to any other employment increasing a risk to a truck driver’s life. The report provided is shocking indeed and raises a big question mark on this occupation. Cigarette smoking is not the single issue but there are other health concerns as well. The truck drivers are continuously exposed to smoke emitted be fuels and so are more prone to heart disease and other respiratory problems.
It has been observed that there is an acute shortage of drivers in the trucking industry. The majority of the drivers are on the verge of retirement and the industry has observed a very few hire in the past times. Many of the experts consider various reasons for the people dissuading from the job. Trucking industry demands long working hours and also away from the family for a long time if you tend to drive on the highways. The lower wages also doesn’t seem to lure the drivers for this job.
The truck load boards help the truckers get the material and there are heaps of loads available to the trucking industry. But due to the shortage of drivers, the truck drivers have to give to more hours to their work and therefore feel tired and get less time of rest.
These are some of the very serious issues raised in the various studies and some steps need to be taken to improve the health conditions of the truck drivers and create awareness among them.

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Owner Operators

Owner Operators Add Life to your Semi Truck with Truck Accessories

Truck accessories are the means which will add comfort and luxury to your routine trucking life. Not only accessorizing your truck will make you feel good and proud of your truck but gives an overall positive outlook to the shipping company and your customers related to your owner operator job. It will demonstrate that your truck is well kept and maintained to take and deliver the job responsibly. This would not require many efforts from your side. The basic décor includes truck painting, chrome accessories and lighting.
Why to Accessorize your Truck:
1. Some of the decoration such as adding LED light to your truck enhances the look of the truck as well as provides safety feature on the road. It takes less power from the battery and gives out bright light. LED lights come in different varieties and can be used anywhere on the truck.
2. The chrome and stainless steel bumpers, exhaust pipes, mirrors etc gives the truck an exciting look and invite more customers who get attracted by its external looks.
3. Inside décor which is not visible from outside such as dashboard, steering, gear knobs etc, will give you a relaxed and happy driving experience.
4. All these are general accessories, these days the semi trucks are coming more customized with the installation of toilets, shower, king size beds and a small kitchenette and appliances like heaters, fans, microwave etc. As the development is taking place in every sphere then why the trucking industry should be left aloof.
5. Not only the new truck but old truck too needs to be accessorized.
Where the truck driver job schedule is so very busy with picking up and delivery of loads, they hardly have time to search the market for the accessory that will fit and suit there truck. Below mentioned are some of the tips on how and where to find the accessories for their truck.
There are companies manufacturing exclusive semi-truck accessories and if you wish to take theirs service to get the chromes suited for your semi-truck then just call them up and give them your VIN number. They can locate your truck and will provide you with the best fit accessories for your truck. Do some online search and see the catalogs of advertisement produced by the chrome companies. One more thing you can do is call up the company and ask to send his customer support people to find out what will be best suitable to give your truck that exciting new look. You can also make use of the chrome company information available on various load boards these days.
An accessorized truck not only makes its own statement but reflects your style class and your passion towards your work. A fashionable touch to the bumper or adding air horn will give new definition to your old truck.

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Owner Operators

Trucking Jobs made Interesting by Couple Partners

It is always a fun and a great opportunity if given a chance to work with your partner. The modern life is very busy full of hustle and bustle. Taking out a few relaxing moments out of the hectic life is all the more difficult and one is always looking for moments of spending some quality time with their partners or family. In such a busy schedule if one can work with their partners than this becomes an icing on the cake.

Trucking for couples has emerged as a new job employing many couples into this industry. This is turning out to be a very successful idea and trucking companies are now looking up to deploy couples into their companies. There are ample opportunities in this business and companies can focus on filling up many vacancies which is available in the trucking business.

In the early phase the marketing strategy of the trucking companies was to employ people having the age of 50 or more. These people playing the second innings of their career could also spend time with their partners and also earn money.

There are various researches going on to promote the idea of trucking couples in this business. If the couples will drive together they will feel less tired and also it will contribute to the number of miles driven by a single trucker. It will naturally result in a better output giving increase to the number of deliveries.

The emphasis is not only on employing elderly drivers but younger generation is also being motivated to enter the business. This business will turn up to be a profitable one and you don’t either need to have a certificate or educational qualification for this job.
It doesn’t really matter if these young people are college pass outs or not.

This job is not a boring routine job in which you leave your homes early mornings and return back late evenings. It is an advantage for those couples who are looking for adventures and traveling. Which other job can serve better purpose than this one and also you can relish the company of your partner.

The trucking companies post many drivers employment advertisements on the internet and there is a growing demand for trucking couples. As compared to the daily routine jobs, the salaries being offered is quite feasible and remember that you will be paid as a couple and not as a single truck driver.

The loads available are good in quantity and there is no worry of running out of work or job. The load boards will help the truck driver trace the work and there is never going to be a shortage of loads. These days there are a number of load boards in the industry and they will supply ample materials to the truckers.

The couples who are looking for a different career can surely think of trucking as a different option waiting ahead for them. So, one should definitely think of this as a lucrative career option.

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Lifestyle Owner Operators

Social Media Serving Freight and Owner Operator Businesses

The world has turned into a small globe and it owes its debt to the technological advances that have taken place. It has made dynamic changes and no industry or field can be said to be have remain untouched by it. No century saw as much growth and development as the 21st century. Transportation and communication in one way go hand in hand.

Cargo business could not be also put into a different place from this as this industry has very much to do with transportation. Social networking is no more a new thing and it has become a chain linking many people to it. Most of the people are associated with the social networking sites like twitter, face book or Orkut in some way or the other. These sites have been proven really fruitful in giving its results and have helped giving a boom to many businesses linked to it.
There was a time when the companies had to go for the newspaper classifieds to promote their business and plan a market strategy making it a costly issue. But now the things have changed entirely giving a new shape to the whole scenario.

The trucking companies can simply post their ads on the internet using loadboards and also give their links on the various social networking sites as well. These companies can create their groups and also make associates with whom they can be in a constant link. The freight business basically thrives on supply chain management and proper communication can prove a boom to it. The world is no longer isolated and anyone from any part of the globe can correspond with the trucking companies. This will definitely help them groom their business. There are bundle of trucking companies who have registered on the social networking sites and are a part of it.

Not only businesses can receive a boom by these sites but also other purposes can be served by it. Truck driver jobs can be placed on the Facebook community or on your twitter page. The area of choice increases and one can choose the right person for the job. There are also communities of truck drivers by which they remain in touch with other and also help them communicate. They are also aware of the job listings and the credit can be given to these social network groups.
The information of the loads available could be placed on the website or any other source of the social network and one can go picking up the load. These things are surely going to give a boost to the business and will help flourish it.

Many freight companies agree that their businesses have seen a remarkable change after having a link up with the social network. One can use twitter for posting contents while photos and other similar links can be placed on Facebook.

It cannot be denied that in this competitive world social networking sites have given a huge platform to businesses as well helping them grow.

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Trucker News

Speeding a Major Safety Compliance Issue for Truck Drivers

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has taken up the operation under Safe Driver Campaign. The report has been recently released by CVSA which points out on three major safety concerns. The warnings as per the citations were issued to the vehicle drivers and trucking companies for both commercial and non-commercial drivers. The three safety violations were speeding, traffic signal disobeying and not using the seat belts.
If we consider the percentages than speeding was the number one. The 2009 figures for commercial drivers suggests there were 20.3 % cases of over-speeding reported whereas for traffic signal violations and seat belt violations were 4.2 percent and 2.6 percent respectively. Similar violations were tracked for car drivers and the percentage violation for car drivers was found to be even higher.

According to 2010 commercial driver’s safety alliance report, the reported cases followed the similar trend with maximum number of safety issues were for speeding. There were 13.7 percentage of speeding related safety concerns. For traffic signal disobeying and failing to use seat belt while driving the car were 4.6 and 10 percent respectively. However 2010, witnessed more cases of non usage of the seat belts while driving.

Since 2007 a program has been launched Operation Safe Driver. This was brought up by CVSA and Federal Carrier Safety Administration to look on the issues to create more awareness and improve the driving pattern of the drivers. The measures are taken to educate and enforce safe driving strategies especially on the drivers whose truck driving job has been found more risky. On 17th to 23 rd October 2010 the fourth annual Operation Safe Driver was conducted in which 53,000 commercial vehicle driver were brought forward.

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The executive director Stephen Keppler addressed that this drive is proving really beneficial and they will continue to focus on the driver behavior that become the main cause of road accidents and in worse cases the cause of life losses.

Many other steps have been taken by several official bodies. One such step that everybody is looking forward is the rule making by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for speed limiters. Though there has been a heated debate on this rule making but the NHTSA is clearing its path for it and intend to lay down its proposal in this line by 2012.

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Owner Operators

Commercial Truck Finance a Feasible Option for Owner Operators

An owner operator or truck driver wanting an independent trucking business is a costly affair. The big rigs often cost too much for the truck driver job to realize their big dreams. A new rig and a trailer would require a big sum of investment ranging from one fifty thousand to two hundred thousand dollars. In this situation the truck driver turns towards commercial truck finance option. The finance companies are more than happy to offer commercial truck finance as this loan is far less risky. This is because of the reason that truck drivers make good money and has the potential to earn over one hundred thousand dollars in one year by running their trucks for approximately 70 hours a week. If they start the business in partnership with two drivers on the road then the amount earned is even more.

The types of finances covered not just include the big rigs which makes interstate trips but all other truck types used for different loads available as well. The other truck purchases that might require commercial truck finance are flat bed, dump truck, reefers, dry vans, hazmat trucks and many more. The area includes all those trucks and trailers that are commercially used to raise income. At this point of time many new owner operators and truck driver feel hesitated to take up such a huge amount of loan. Therefore, many starters go for another option which is more economic and practical i.e. of Truck leasing. In this case they take the required truck on lease for a certain period of time. This option does not require a big initial investment so the truckers can focus on other financial requirements until the business is perfectly set.

Rising fuel price is another challenge faced by both the owner operators and the truck finance companies. Where the fuel was costing 500 dollars some four years back now costs 1000 dollars. The investors are now looking for low cost finance options. The overall economy of the country depends on its fuel prices and trucking industry. According to estimation the trucking industry will face a shortage of 20,000 drivers by 2014. There are a few reasons why the truckers these days want to have their own commercial truck. The first one off course is the freedom to drive the big rig on your own terms and conditions. Many truckers don’t find the scheduled 10 or 14 hours a day job offered by trucking companies much fascinating. Moreover these days the new semi trucks are coming loaded with features like beds, microwaves, toilets, satellite televisions, and much more. So the aspiring trucker wants to get all such facilities with their own trucks.

Commercial Truck Finance options are not only limited to new trucks but are also available on used trucks and trailers for those who do not want much financial load on themselves. Many companies are coming into picture offering truck finances for new and used trucks. With the start up of the owner operator business you have the potential towards increased earnings. You can use the facilities of load boards to keep your truck always loaded. Thus taking commercial truck finance is a good idea for those truck drivers who cannot afford to buy a truck on their own but want to start up the o/o business.

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Owner Operators

Truck Driving Schools – An Insight

Nothing comes free these days. This also implies to truck driving schools. There are options available where you will have to pay out less comparatively or sometimes no upfront fees to enroll to the truck driving school classes. There are many ways in which you can attend discounted or almost free truck driving schools. Let us discuss in this article some.
Since the economy is facing challenges and people are suffering job losses and layoffs. Trucking industry remains the number one option for the jobless people to secure a truck driving job. However, you need to attend a truck driving school before you establish yourself in this industry. One most straight forward way is that you attend any independent truck driving school. This will cost you more somewhere around $3000- $7000. If you do not have enough money to pay for the fees you can take a government loan to pay for the fees. The loans are easily approved keeping in mind the trucking industry is ever blooming and they get there loans paid back easily. The pay back period usually starts 6 months after you complete the course.
Second option is to join a truck driving school run by any trucking company. These schools offer you free truck driving courses but they usually make you sign one year contract that you will work for the company. At this duration they will pay a little lower wage as they try and compensate what they spent for your truck driver graduation. The disadvantage of this option is that you get stuck for one year with one company and in case you intend to leave they will charge you what they have spent on your course. The advantage is you have the job security as soon as you complete your truck driving lessons and you do not have to pay any upfront fees from your side.
If we check out the technical points related to the two type of schooling then the independent school will teach you trucking lessons from scratch. They will teach you every lesson to become a successful truck driver and fit into any truck driving company easily. The learning approach followed is general so that you can apply them wherever applicable. Whereas when you take the course from the trucking company school they will follow a customized learning pattern which is used in their trucking company to dispatch available loads. Thus you may lack the competing knowledge when compared with the independent school truck driving course.
Check our load board for more such interesting trucking articles.
Now the selection of CDL training depends on your needs and requirements. Drivers and owner operators getting educated from both ways do well once they are on the road. The choice will depend on your initial investment capabilities.

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Business

Changing Times

With the 2010 elections behind us we can now look forward to the 112th Congress and what it might have in store for the trucking industry. There are several important trucking issues that the new Congress should address, but there is no guarantee that they will make progress on them. Highway funding, parking safety, Mexican trucking, and other hefty issues will rear their head in 2011, but will there be any resolution?

The U.S. House of Representatives, which the Republicans took control of, is where the greatest change occurred. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will remain the leader of the House Democrats, but Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, is the new Speaker of the House. In a somewhat surprising election result, longtime House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar lost his re-election bid. Not only was this a gain for the Republicans, but it means the trucking industry has a new committee chairman. At the time of this writing, that chairmanship has not yet been assigned, but it is likely to go to Rep. John L. Mica, R-Fla.

Oberstar’s former committee may have the most transportation-related work to do in the upcoming Congress. The Highway Trust Fund continues to operate on a deficit. This is the fund that pays for road improvements and other highway infrastructure improvements. The real challenge is that the gas tax simply isn’t covering expenses (though some might argue earmarks not related to highways are helping cause this deficit). Newly elected Republicans have suggested one of the first things they will do during the next Congress is to ban earmarks, so that could be an interesting and distracting debate that could keep officials focused on issues other than infrastructure and potentially kill current plans.

Oberstar has urged Congress to approve a one-year extension of the current highway legislation so the new Congress can have time to “come to agreement on a funding mechanism for a six-year bill.” This is the same omnibus funding bill that has failed to leave the floor of the House the last two years. The challenge for Oberstar and his recommendation was that the remainder of 2010 was a lame-duck session in Congress. Yes, they should extend the current bill that they failed to fully renew after it officially expired on Sept. 30, 2009, but they also needed to pass a continuing resolution to make certain the federal government can operate after Dec. 3, 2010. As it turns out, they failed to pass this omnibus bill, too.

Though the Republicans in the Senate gained five seats, the Democrats maintained control of the upper house. The five additional Republican seats all but guarantee numerous opportunities for stalemates on major policy issues – possibly including the Major Highway Bill. The 112th Congress will also have its hands full with environmental-, safety- and trade-related issues. The Obama administration continues to negotiate and consider reinstituting the cross-border trucking program with Mexico. And Congress will likely see a new bill introduced to address truck parking safety (Jason’s Law).
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Should those of us in the trucking industry be excited by the new makeup of Congress? It’s tough to gauge, but probably not. The first several months will be devoted to partisan bickering as those newly elected to Congress attempt to reverse many of the steps the Obama administration has taken. Any reversal attempts on major issues like health reform will likely be unsuccessful and will only serve to divert resources from those issues that can successfully be addressed – like actually doing their truck driver job and passing an omnibus highway funding bill.

So, expect more of the same partisanship. And expect it to intensify as we approach the end of 2011 and enter the 2012 election cycle. It’s interesting how change can often bring more status quo.

Source: http://ptcchallenge.com/2011/01/changing-times/